Things I See- Pooch Panache! (Warsaw IN Pet Photography)

While I believe every dog gives you the "sad face" look in the tub, I don't think anyone can say these dogs aren't enjoying themselves while they get the royal grooming treatment from Lori of Pooch Panache Mobile Dog Grooming! I got the opportunity to ride along for a day and photograph Lori work her magic on dogs who needed everything from just a bath to the complete overhaul! Not only is it fascinating work, but it is quite physical! Her clients' owners clearly appreciate her talent, and as you can see from Teddy giving her a kiss, her clients do too!

To see more from my day with Pooch Panache, visit our proofing gallery here!

Farewell to Lizy

Lizy was Sam's dog, and I had never seen a pet quite so attached to a human before. We decided to do some personal photos with her before we said goodbye forever. We miss you every day, Lizy. We know Duke was waiting for you. ~Naomi

Rebekah- Senior on the farm! (Warsaw, IN Photography)

Some things that are awesome... seniors... llamas... really cool farms... and when you combine them all, they make my day!!

So, here is Rebekah, class of 2012, in her natural habitat.

Things I See- Our doggies (Warsaw, IN Pet Photographer)

Some of my personal posts are way more personal than others. This would be one of them. Our dogs are our "kids". We don't have kids yet, but we sure do use our dogs as practice! When we lost Duke over a month ago, we decided to dedicate more time to photographing our dogs. It felt like we just didn't have enough moments of them. So here's a compilation of several outing where we grabbed the film camera and took them for some fun. ~Naomi

 They love splashing around in the creek, so we had to include that in our day trips!

Things I See- Django Karth! (Warsaw IN Pet Photographer)

I'll admit- it's been a rough 7 months. Sam's Grandpa, an amazing and irreplaceable force in our lives, passed away. Then we lost our precious senior cat, Quarter, to cancer. Then just a month ago our beloved Duke, a pitbull you couldn't help adore, was also lost to cancer.

We had talked about getting another dog, and decided to wait. Quarter's vacant place was filled because a friend messaged me on Facebook, having a homeless senior cat who needed a place to go- and that was how we ended up with Jedi. But we thought we'd try to live with just the two dogs...

Until Saturday, when some friends called us because they couldn't keep a stray terrier they had found. When we arrived to pick him up, we discovered he was a puppy! (I'm not a big fan of house training, etc and had vowed no more puppies- there are plenty of adult dogs who need adopted!) Well, it did not take long for this little guy to worm his way into our hearts- like 10, 15 seconds, tops!

And so, we now have Lizy, Miles, and Django Karth, in our troop of fuzzy "kids".

The thing is... he needed us... But we needed him too.

Welcome, Django! Thanks for helping us laugh! ~Naomi

Love Is...

Loving everyone... even if they don't love you back.

Today was a really rough day in the Karth household. Our beloved pitbull mix, Duke, passed away this morning. He had been struggling with an unknown illness, and we were watching him literally waste away.

Duke was one of a kind. He loved everyone. He never understood why certain people refrained from petting him. He would have kissed them anyway. He was a therapy dog, a best friend, a mutt and even a photo contest winner. And he was so loved by us.

I'm not going to get up on my soap box, but I will say this- we never regretted owning a pitbull. Not once. He was an exceptional dog, and he will be missed so so so much.

Here's a session we recently did with Duke on film- he loved going places in the car, even to the vet-

Duke, we know you aren't in pain anymore. We love you and will miss you. You were the best, and the cutest. Love, Mommy & Daddy

Duke- Pet Photos (Warsaw, IN Pet Photographer)

Duke was the winner of our Doggie Photo Contest! We had a lot of fun taking his photos, because he is definitely cute, and has a ton of personality!

 I love this one where he is sneaking Mommy a kiss!

 And because Melissa & Zech are expecting, we took a few snaps of just them! Congratulations, you guys! We are so excited to meet Sadie in a couple months!!

Congratulations, Dukie! We had a blast meeting you and hope your "parents" love your photos! ~Naomi

Love Is...

being a pair...

...forever.

Love is...

having a home that loves you...

Despite your faults...

Samuel & Quarter (Indiana Pet Photographer)

This is a bittersweet post. My husband and I have a lot of cats. In some ways, as Sam describes it, it is like two "cat ladies" married each other! Yes, it is weird, but we cannot seem to say "NO!" to a needy cat. We have two gangs in our household- the Oldies, and the Kittens. Four in each group. One of our oldest is Quarter. Quarter is fourteen this year, and I have had her in my life since she was less than a week old.

I can still remember it like yesterday- the neighbor boy knocked on our door, and asked if we had kittens. In the chill of October he had found 4 baby cats, crawling across our lawn! So we didn't have kittens, and then we did! I took all four in, and bottle fed them. Unfortunately, kittens can be incredibly fragile, and being left outside in the cold for who knows how long took its toll. Quarter was the only one to survive, and that was how she earned her name!

Fast forward ten years, and a man enters my life too. A man I can't live without. A man that Quarter has attached herself to, in a way I'd not seen before. She will sit on his chest if he is sitting down. If he stands up, she wraps arms around his neck, and just goes where he goes. A friend introduced us to the possibility of her having Burmese in her, and after reading about the breed, we have no doubt! They are known as the "monkeys" of the cat world, and since then Sam has called her "His Monkey".

Fourteen alone is a decent life for a cat, but about two years ago another complication was added to Quarter's life. She was diagnosed with gingivastomatitis (which is not like gingivastomatitis in humans). In cats, it is not cureable, and treatments are often short-lived options. Basically, it is like her gums are allergic to the tartar on her teeth. We've got her on steriods to help with the inflammation and pain, but it often feels like we're just slapping a band-aid on it. Her latest flare-up was bad. She developed an ulcer in her mouth & we didn't know it until she yawned one day while sitting on Sam's lap! Her vet recommended a steriod injection, which has helped, but we worry about how long this can continue. So at my suggestion, Sam let me do a little photo session with him & His Monkey. Here are some of the results. ~Naomi

Daphne The Spider

This blog post is about a spider. Yep. So you've been warned. I understand that there are many people who don't like spiders, and won't even be the least bit interested in this. There are people wondering what the heck a spider has to do with a wedding photographer anyway! Well, read on, and you will find out.

Few things to know about me- when I say I love all animals, I mean ALL animals! Also, I like rooting for the underdog, be it the Cubs or a misunderstood creature of God. And I also take photos of everything.

I also have several chronic pain conditions that from time to time flare up and make my life a lot harder to live! One is a disease called Interstitial Cystitis (also know as Painful Bladder Syndrome). Some doctors will tell you it isn't even a real disease, but I will tell you that as a patient, it can make your life not worth living. I also have several other medical conditions related to the IC, such as Endometriosis, and another disease so painful & private most people won't even talk about it. I've come a very long way as a patient- exercise, diet, physical therapy, drugs, supplements, short of voo-doo, I've been through the ringer. Many days it works, and I count my blessings and pray for all my fellow patients who are having bad days (months, years, etc).

This past month I kinda hit a dark spot. And along came a spider...

I first noticed the web late one evening as we were coming home. It stood out in my mind because it isn't every day that you find a spider web on the top of your car! I just assumed the spider had made the web, then decided a moving home really wasn't her thing.

Next morning, I almost get into my car when I see this-

She's there, alive & kicking! And enjoying all the bugs we caught the night before from driving through the country!

I told my husband, Sam, her name is "Daphne" and she is allowed to stay as long as she likes!

Not only was I inspired by her ingenuity, but every time I drove somewhere her web was eventually destroyed, and every morning I would go out to my car to find she had spun another one overnight.

In addition to making a web, she came up with this neat little "cave" at the base of the antenna, where she would go while I drove! It was even waterproof!

Sadly, this past week she disappeared. There is still a wisp of her web atop my car, and I've left it there as a reminder that you can still create beauty, even in unlikely circumstances.

Thanks, God, for the reminder!